MEDIA WEAKNESSES TARGET AUDIENCE SEASONALITY RADIO … · STRENGTHS BEHAVIOUR MEDIA WEAKNESSES...
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p r o c e s s MARKETING OBJECTIVES BRAND INFO BUSINESS TARGET Desired BEHAVIOUR SALES PROFILE CONSUMER RESPONSE GEOGRAPHY ADVERTISING OBJECTIVES RESEARCH COMPETITORS BUDGET CATEGORY intel CREATIVE Product launch TARGET AUDIENCE Media channel MEDIA STRENGTHS MEDIA WEAKNESSES BEHAVIOUR Reach television FLIGHTING RADIO Weighting SEASONALITY search social outdoor magazines i n s i g h t DATA LOCATION TIMING OPINIONS attitudes BUDGET environment credibility impact connection CREATIVE SCHEDULING Media channel PROGRAMMES MEDIA WEAKNESSES SECTIONS Reach WEEKS OFF genre FLIGHTING Bus routes stations FREQUENCY Time of day WEEKS ON DAY PART GEOGRAPHY EFFORT size shape TITLES impact Day of week complexes
Transcript of MEDIA WEAKNESSES TARGET AUDIENCE SEASONALITY RADIO … · STRENGTHS BEHAVIOUR MEDIA WEAKNESSES...
process
MARKETING OBJECTIVES BRAND INFO
BUSINESS TARGET
Des
ired
B
EH
AVIO
UR
SA
LES
P
RO
FILE
CONSUMER RESPONSE
GEOGRAPHY
ADVERTISING OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH COMPETITORS
BUDGET
CAT
EG
OR
Y in
tel
CREATIVEProduct launch
TARGET AUDIENCE Media channel
MEDIA STRENGTHS
MEDIA WEAKNESSES
BE
HAV
IOU
R
Rea
ch
tele
visi
on
FLIGHTING
RADIO
Wei
ghtin
g SEASONALITY
search
social
outdoor
magazines
i n s i g h t
DATA
LOCATION
TIMING OPINIONS
attit
udes
BUDGETenvironment
credibility
impact
connection
CREATIVE
SCHEDULING
Media channel
PROGRAMMES
MEDIA WEAKNESSES
SE
CTI
ON
S
Rea
ch
WE
EK
S
OFF
genre
FLIGHTING
Bus routes
stat
ions
FREQUENCY
Time of day
WEEKS ON
DAY PART
GEOGRAPHY EFFORT
size
shape
TITLES
impact Day of week
complexes
process
Overview
Consider for a minute the role of an
ARCHITECT AND A BUILDER, you would not
proceed with building an office tower until
you consulted with an architect and
developed a plan then contracted a builder
to construct the building. Media
communications is very similar.
Consider the task of building this office
tower. FIRSTLY THE ARCHITECT would need to
ensure they had sufficient knowledge about
the environment, the needs of the building
and its main purpose, benefits for tenants,
and to identify any potential barriers. Then
they would proceed with drafting a plan
that would be considerate of the ideal
shape and structure, materials required and
estimated costs.
These plans would then be submitted for
approval to ensure they meet all the
requirements.
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Once approved, THE BUILDER would then
be briefed on the job with all the required
details of what they needed to build. Along
the way, the builder would be trying to
meet the deadline for construction, ensure
the project met the expectations of the plan
and to manage costs without compromising
the quality.
Unlike builders where costs can tend to
continually escalate during the construction,
a media buyer must maintain tight control
of the budget and not exceed this figure.
A plan for managing the process is helpful to
ensure that all information is considered and
thoughts are investigated with focus always
remaining on what needs to be achieved.
process
Overview
A COMMON PROCESS for Media Communications would be as follows………
BRIEFING The advertiser/client provides a brief that contains vital information, knowledge and expectations for their brand/product/service.
STRATEGIC PLANNINGThe process for developing a strategy involves:
1. Understanding why the client is advertising/understanding the brand andchallenges.
2. Identifying the target audience
3. Developing insights
4. Selecting the optimum media channels
5. To create a communications program
IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING Identifies and plans the most effective way of using each media channel
MEDIA BUYING AND NEGOTIATINGTo book activity with the media and negotiate the most competitive rate, relevant positioning, and added value
POST MONITORING:Evaluating the performance of the campaign against objectives. Post monitoring provides learning's and insights that will be carried forward to the next campaign.
INVOICING:Generating financial invoices for all booked media activity.
process
Steps
An MCA will require a significant amount
of information to assist in understanding
more about the product/brand/service
and its reasons for advertising. To ensure
that the Media Agency can meet the
expectations of the advertiser, they must
have a clear understanding of WHY
THEY WANT TO ADVERTISE and what they
expect to achieve as a result.
In an ideal scenario, the advertiser will
invest sufficient time in preparing a file of
information that the agency will use
to conduct their role effectively. The
process of briefing can, however, be
compromised if an advertiser is faced
with a challenge that needs to be
addressed immediately and they need to
get in market as soon as possible.
The process of effective briefing would
usually involve the client physically
presenting their brief to the agency,
along with any other key business
partners. The brief is usually accepted by
the client’s Group Manager and/or
Strategic Planner..
The Advertiser needs to consider the
amount of effort required to adequately
respond to this brief and allow the Media
Agency sufficient time to review the
brief, ask further questions and
ultimately respond with a
communication solution that best meets
their needs.
There are some instances where the
advertiser requires the support of the
MCA to complete the brief given the
research available to the media agency.
Such information may include an analysis
of competitive media activity and
identification of key target groups.
process
The Brief
quality quality
THE CONTENT OF THE BRIEF should
include the following information.
MARKET BACKGROUND
An overview of the brands recent
performance, share of market v’s
competition, brand awareness and any
research findings that can assist.
MARKETING OBJECTIVES
Information on measurable objectives
such as volume sales, share of market,
profitability etc.
ADVERTISING OBJECTIVES
What the client is trying to accomplish
through advertising, what's the purpose.
Some of these objectives may include;
stimulate trial, increase awareness,
maintain share or position in market,
launch a new brand, improve image or
reputation, elicit a direct response etc.
SOURCE OF BUSINESS/
TARGETING
Identifying where the core business
returns will come from in terms of the
available consumer profiles. What is
before this information includes the
identification of the targets and their
profiles. These may include: holding
current brand users, getting current
users to increase frequency of use,
changing the user profile and appealing
to a different target group, attracting
customers from competitive brands,
expanding the category, demographic
(age/ sex/ income/ education/
employment/ ethnicity), psychographics
(lifestyle/outlook/interest/motivations),
purchase influence/decision, purchaser
vs. end user evaluation, lifestyle market
segments (i.e. university students,
retired, working etc.).
process
The Brief
MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS Finding out if there are any pre
determined mandatory media placements
that need to be included or are expected
to contribute to delivering on the
objectives. Sometimes there could be a
requirement from a global client to use
existing creative content and this would
influence the media selections.
PRODUCT, BRAND & CATEGORY
INFORMATION Information that provides a richer
understanding of the product and
category. i.e.
• Category definition: Competitive brands
and competition from related product
classes.
• Shares, sales, volume: Category / brand /
competitor trends.
• Interest level -‐ high / low, i.e. fashion or
cars vs. detergents.
• Responsiveness to advertising.
• Purchase cycle -‐ users / heavy users.
• Life cycle stage for brand -‐ i.e. new,
mature, extension.
• Awareness / attitude information -‐
loyalty negativity etc.
• Market expansion opportunities -‐
category penetration, frequency of use,
new volume opportunity process
The Brief
COMPETITIVE ADVERTISING
PATTERNS
Understanding what the competition does in
the market, from a media perspective as well
as a creative perspective. Information such as
where, when, how and what the competitors
are advertising, who they are targeting with
their communication and what they are trying
to achieve.
The detail of expenditure by medium,
seasonality, program and title selection and
the amount of effort they are placing in
media with their brand/product assists in
identifying these patterns of behaviour.
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION &
SALES PROFILE
Understanding the needs to address different
geographic locations given the variables. i.e.
• Product distribution, sales, advertising
• National vs. local support priority and
requirements
• Data and trends for category/brand/
competition in terms of sales volume, sales
factors and market potential
• Market costs of advertising versus
potential
SEASONALITY & TIMING Considerations to be made about when to
advertise can include:
• Product/brand availability
• Sales Patterns -‐ quarterly/monthly
• Influencing Factors – holidays, weather,
promotions
• Spending Considerations -‐ leading into
peak season, specific sale/promotion period
• Client-‐mandated quarterly spending
constraints
• Cost of media
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The Brief
CREATIVE CONSIDERATIONS Highlight existing creative work or ongoing
creative development, which should be
considered in media planning (examples of
visuals, scripts, creative brief etc. if
available).
OTHER MARKETING INITIATIVES An outline of other relevant activities on
the marketing plan e.g. PR, Point of Sale,
Show room activations , Direct Marketing
etc.
KEY LEARNINGS Information from previous activity that can
be of benefit. What is driving the business,
what has worked /not worked and reasons
why.
EVALUATION The criteria that will be used to judge
whether a campaign is successful e.g.
Sales, awareness, intention tracking
BUDGET How much money is budgeted for
advertising and media. Often the media
agency will be asked to respond with a
budget recommendation sufficient to
deliver the Business/Communication
objections.
process
The Brief
It is the primary function of the strategic
planning process to consider all the potential
points of influence in the lives of the consumer and to identify innovative and
effective ways to communicate with them.
Armed with some valuable information that
has been provided in the briefing process,
the strategist undertakes the role of an
architect, building a strategic framework of
direction, ideas and plans.
Planning roles can vary from strategic
planning with the focus on brand and
consumer profiles and ideas. Channel
planning may translate this into the media
context and implementation planning works
through the application of each channel and
costings.
As you read on, it will become obvious why
the planner plays a critical role in shaping the
advertising campaign and how this process
influences the creative development.
The planner not only relies upon the valuable
information sourced from the brief, but will
need to immerse themselves in research in
order to identify areas of opportunity.
Planning functions generally cover:-‐
TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILING
U N D E R S T A N D I N G T H E B R A N D S
O B J E C T I V E S A ND C H A L L E NG E S .
Recommending medium(s) based on
relevance and impact to target audience and the
communication requirements……STRATEGIC
IDEA THAT LEVERAGES KNOWLEDGE OF
THE TARGET AGAINST THE TASK AT
HAND…….Articulation of the ROLE OF
EACH CHANNEL i n t he ove ra l l
campaign….The effort required in each medium (i.e. TV to reach 60% of the target at
l e a s t 2 t i m e s )… .G e o g r a p h i c
variables that may require unique effort,
d i ff e r e n t t i m i n g o r
prioritisation…..Timings for each
m e d i u m … . . E s t i m a t e d
investment required.
process
TARGET AUDIENCE It is vital to have a rich understanding of the consumer, why they make the choices they
do and how these choices can be influenced. Research, data and insights are the key
ingredients here.
The strategist/planner will use a combination of industry and proprietary research and
may need to commission new studies in order to answer specific questions that existing
research can’t provide.
Additionally, many of the media and their respective industry bodies (such as the
NewspaperWorks, Interactive Advertising Bureau, Free TV, Commercial Radio Australia,
Outdoor Media Association etc.) conduct adhoc studies that can enhance knowledge
about media consumption and involvement which are also useful tools.
process
Just some questions to consider………
• What makes them different or unique?
• What is their lifestyle and daily routine?
• What are their purchase habits and intentions?
• What is their income band?
• What is their educational background?
• What are their attitudes and opinions?
• What and who inspires or influences them?
• How does the consumer respond to the competitors activity?
§ How does the consumer respond to my brand?
§ How do they interact with media?
§ How do they consume media?
§ What is their attitude to different media?
§ Where do they go to look for brand information?
Creative ideas are built on insights into
people, so this information is vital in
assisting the creative process and enabling
them to generate ideas that stimulate the
appropriate action.
Once the strategist/planner has identified
the essence of the consumer and their
media habits, further investigation is
required to strengthen the knowledge of
the consumers’ interaction with the many
media options.
MEDIA CHANNEL SELECTION The opportunities to promote a brand,
product or service are rapidly increasing and
again, technology is having a major
influence on today‘s consumers and their
media habits. The process of selecting the
most appropriate communication vehicle(s)
therefore needs to consider further
questions, such as:
• Which media does my target audience
best relate to/engage with?
• What combination of media will work
best to achieve my goals?
• How effective is the media in delivering
my objectives?
• What percentage of my target audience
can the media reach and how fast?
• How efficient is the media in terms of
costs?
• What creative implications do I need to
consider?
• How affordable are the media options
considering my budget?
• How does my competitor use media and
how should this influence my media
choice?
• What are the advantages/strengths and
disadvantages/weaknesses of each of the
media that I need to consider?
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The list of media channels is not just limited
to the mainstream media of television,
radio, magazines, newspapers, online,
social, mobile, cinema and outdoor. The
opportunities extend to a huge variety of
out of home/ambient environments, direct
mail, email, video games, merchandise,
music, in program content, word of mouth,
sponsorships, etc. This list continues to
grow as rapidly as new technology is
developed
Many advertisers today require a multi
media approach using different vehicles
and different creative messages to
effectively reach their target consumer.
The ying and yang of all these elements
create the best results.
MEDIA SELECTION – IDENTIFYING
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
Each media has different strengths and
weaknesses that need to be considered.
These considerations need to be made
bearing in mind all the elements of the
brief and insights into the consumer.
Every element of the media selection
needs to have a clear role in the overall
campaign. The combination of media
channels also need to be complimentary to
the plan (i.e. when and how to use each
media channel to maximise impact,
increase frequency, create campaign
longevity etc.
Refer to the Media section for details on
strengths and weaknesses.
process
Television Strengths • Builds brand awareness and broad audience accumulation
quickly for high reach potential • Can cherry pick programs and channels for specific target
audiences • Dramatic presentation, demonstration ability• Audio/visual impact• Specific day/time placement• Entertaining/memorable • Accountable• Can go beyond TVC with interstitials/ sponsorships/
advertorial-‐style activity etc. • PayTV – Red Button allows for engagement
Weaknesses • Audience targeting through demographic information as
opposed to individual registered data • Less effective at reaching broad audiences than in the
past due to increased channel options • Short message • Limited inventory (13min/hour)• High relative media cost to gain good reach• High production costs• Harder to be reactive due to long lead times • Harder to measure engagement with ad (versus online
metrics) • Growing commercial clutter• Ads can be switched off/skipped
Online Video Strengths • Most executions can be audience targeted based on
registration data (more accurate than demographic TV targeting)
• In-‐banner video can be placed in relevant content • Fewer competing ads in break• Tracking of Engagement • Incremental reach to standard TV plan
Weaknesses• Significantly more fragmented market than TV• Takes longer to build reach • Lower reach levels available (as a percentage of total
online/TV audience) • Shorter Formats in Pre-‐Rolls: 15s recommended length
(:30s and some :60s available, but rare) • Premium inventory in short supply• Can be expensive
Radio Strengths • Allows for frequency of message -‐ Especially effective for
pushing sales windows • Can cherry pick formats and stations to reach specific
target audiences • Cost efficient vs. TV and Newspapers • Low production cost• Sponsorship opportunities with Open Broadcast,
Personality appearances, On-‐Air Giveaways etc. • Short lead times (1-‐2 weeks depending on time of year)
Weaknesses• Commercial Clutter – an advertising break can contain up
to 9 ads • Audience fragmentation means smaller audiences per
station • No production visualisation – taps into one sense• Relies on the “theatre of the mind” so can be creatively
challenging. • Perception is that the medium is losing relevance • Can be costly to reach a mass audience comparative to
other mediumsMagazines Strengths
• Strong brand building medium• Large circulation magazines can deliver high reach• Offers contextually relevant and targeted options by title• Excellent added-‐value and merchandising programs • Offers integration with publishers' online and event
properties
Weaknesses • Long lead times (2-‐3 months) • Reach build can be slow, not ideal for immediate sales
results • Less impact than Television or Internet (No audio or
video). Not ideal for product demonstration. • Clutter can be high
Newspapers Strengths • Radio audience accumulation -‐ high single day reach is
attainable • Geographic flexibility• Conveys sense of urgency, timeless• Can convey detailed copy. Wide variety of ad sizes and
adhoc creative options available. • Short lead times (2-‐3 days)
Weaknesses • Readership is declining• Limited target selectivity• Cluttered ad environment• Inefficient relative to radio or TV -‐ high costs
Out of Home Strengths• Great range of options• Delivers broad Reach and High Frequency• Cost efficient relative to other media• Excellent geographic flexibility. Can impact consumer near
point of purchase. Can reach target audience in areas and situations other mediums can’t.
• Digital out of home offers new options and creative flexibility
• Can be broadcast or narrowcast• Can be complimentary to other mediums or spearhead
major launch • Can blend in environments, demonstrate stature and
engage multiple senses • Creates talkability
Weaknesses • Some environments can be cluttered• Short exposure time. Creatively challenging: Limited
message capability (guideline is 8 words or less) • Variation in availability and quality of locations from
market to market • Finite inventory. Long lead time often needed to secure
inventory. • Production costs can be relatively high• Not all formats / sites measured in “MOVE”
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Cinema Strengths • Captive & engaged audience • Opportunity to become part of the consumers experience• Highly targeted • High impact • Uncluttered environment • Powerful creative solutions to build additional awareness
and value beyond the screen • Higher recall• Introduction of new audience measurement
Weaknesses • Slow reach builder• Must develop the right creative to maximize effectiveness
in theatre • Higher CPM to other media channels• Limited measurement system• Uncertainty at the box office • Doesn’t work on all client objectives i.e. Direct Response
clients
Digital Strengths• Cost efficient by CPM • Can be a great direct response outlet as well as branding
medium • Multiple creative opportunities; very customisable.• Can complement on-‐air messaging and campaign
strategies • Can incerase brand awareness metrics
Weaknesses • Sometimes metrics get held to a different level compared
to traditional media • Web can be cluttered• New opportunities like online video can be cost
prohibitive compared to traditional media
Mobile Strengths• Real-‐time, ongoing communications• One-‐to-‐one dialogue that builds loyalty• Ability to engage using text, bluetooth, media, or apps• Direct response tool/call to action• Cost effective and measurable• Mobile usage continues to grow
Weaknesses • Limited space for messages• Building out consumer list takes time• Apps are platform specific, onnly reaching certain mobile
users • Retail use of mobile coupons growing, but far from
seamless
Email Strengths• Increases customer retention• Ability to broadcast and target individual personalised
context together • Low Cost • High ROI • Trackable
Weaknesses • High amount of spam • Competition with all email (personal and offer based)• Consumers are using other media to conterol their
personal and commercial relationships
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Strengths• Increases visibility on search engines where advertisers
may not have a high organic ranking• Cost effective based on CPC (Cost per click). Advertisers
only charged when a user clicks on text ad • Targets people who are activfely seeking products and
services. Searches done by those with a high intent to take action.
• Extremely measurable (ROI among the highest of digital mediums)
• Search campaigns are extremely flexible -‐ creative and campaigns can be changed quickly
Weaknesses • Based on the number of competitors bidding on
keywords; CPC rates can be extremely high • Few competitor search engines in the industry. Google
has 70% of the search engine market.
Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM)
Strengths • WOMM is the most trusted source for purchase ideas and
information. It builds a relationship with the consumer in the most relevant and meaningful way via trausted advisors
• Provides reasons and means to get influential people and advocates to talk and refer
• Turns one-‐time engagements into long-‐term relationships and loyalty
• WOMM stretches value by utilising mass media to fuel grassroots
• Can be low cast depending on methods used
Weaknesses • Successful WOMM plans can take several months to build
momentum and viral effects • ROI measurement does not adhere to traditional media
metrics
+ and ther
e are more c
hannels…
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If strategic planning is about identifying
innovative, efficient and effective ways to
communicate with the consumer, then the
implementation process is about ensuring
the message is PLACED IN THE RIGHT
ENVIRONMENT AT THE RIGHT TIME AT
THE BEST COST.
The process of implementation planning is
to bring the strategic plan to life with
specifics and recommendations on how to
implement the activity and to develop a
final estimate of costs.
The following is reviewed:
ENVIRONMENT § genre of TV programs
§ print title and section§ radio station(s)
§ bus and road routes
§ cinema complexes
§ online sites
§ mobile advertising vehicles
§ ambient opportunities eg. Post cards,
coffee cups, gyms, bars and clubs, shopping
centres
PERIOD – best time to reach them Not only is it important to determine the weeks for ideal exposure but also considerations like day of the week or time of the day. This may need to consider the best point of impact close to purchase (for
example promoting an ice-‐cream at 10pm at night in winter wouldn’t work as effectively as a lunchtime spot on a summer weekend)
SHAPE Size and shape of creative material, how
many executions, how they can be blended
throughout the campaign (for example
there may be a teaser campaign idea so
small size creative messages would be used
before the big announcement ads).
COST The cost of the media is a major factor to
work out what can be afforded and whether
the campaign expecta*ons can be met.
Smaller budget campaigns can be extremely
effec*ve and innova*ve but it just needs to
be clever to ensure the message stands out
and connects.
process
MEDIA SCHEDULING -‐
Reach and Frequency
Based on the objectives of the campaign,
the planner evaluates the needs and
recommends how much effort is required
in order to get the appropriate consumer
response over a given period of time. This
effort is often reported as a ‘reach
figure’ (either in total thousands of people
within the defined target market group or
as a % of the total people within the
defined target market group).
Consider for a moment, a highly
anticipated event such as the promotion of
tickets to a Coldplay concert, this may
require very low levels of reach as the
majority of the potential market will
already be aware of the upcoming event.
Alternatively, you may have a Myer 3-‐day
sale and you probably want to reach as
many people as possible in a short space of
time in order to achieve the desired result.
In addition, a ‘frequency level’ needs to be
established, i.e. how often does the target
market need to see the message in order
to respond accordingly; this is called
Effective frequency.
There are many areas of consideration here
that can influence this decision -‐ share of
market vs competitors; share of noise vs
competitors; CURRENT LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF
THE ADVERTISED ITEM; level of interest in
the category; whether the message is
new information to the consumer; what
other level of marketing support will
the product have; THE STRENGTH OF THE
CREATIVE MESSAGE AND ITS ABILITY TO BREAK
THROUGH THE CLUTTER; the strength of the
media in allowing the advertised item
to stand out; the length of time that
the campaign needs to run for.
These are only a few of the considerations
that need to be taken into account.
process
The planner will evaluate the situation and recommend a level of Reach and Frequency , i.e.
60% 3+ (the objective of the campaign is to reach 60% of the target market at least 3 times) or
70% 2+ (objective being to reach 70% of the target market at least 2 times)
process
Whereas, a new car insurance commercial in the market may
require more frequency to break through the clutter, to allow
sufficient time to explain why they are better than their
competitors and finally to allow consumers enough time to
digest the information and respond accordingly, ie high levels of
effective frequency.
These decisions also need to be reviewed against the
point of diminishing returns – where further exposure
and investment is not generating the level of response
to justify the activity. There is also a consideration that
too much exposure can, in fact, create a negative
response to the brand, particularly in this day of
advertising savvy consumers
The well established Apple iPad may require very few
reminders as the brand and the message is easily
understood and has high recognition. It many then only
need a few exposures to work, ie low levels of effective
frequency.
MEDIA SCHEDULING -‐ FLIGHTING Flighting is the “when”, ie when each
media is active and for how long. Some
strategies will see the first ‘burst’ of
activity over a number of weeks with
generally higher weights (Reach and
Frequency) than the following weeks. This
is particularly effective when launching a
new product into market. Often the mix of
media is selected to run at different
intervals to allow more longevity of the
campaign.
Some of the considerations for
determining the flow of activity will take
into account brand/product seasonality,
consumer purchase decisions, competitive
activity and estimates on when they might
be advertising, the budget that is afforded
for each media, the objectives of the
campaign to generate the desired
response within a given time period.
process
Jan Feb w/c 6 13 20 27 3 10 17 24
TV
Mags
Online
MEDIA SCHEDULING -‐ Geography
The media markets are generally
categorized by state and then by
metropolitan and regional markets. The
selection of a media doesn’t assume a full
national exposure unless you specifically
buy each market individually. The primary
exceptions to this are magazines and the
internet which are most often bought
nationally due to their national
distribution.
Many advertisers may have different needs
in each market influenced by brand
performance, CDI/BDI, product
distribution, levels of awareness, influence
of competition, varying seasonality trends
and of course the audience potential. The
level of activity and the selection of media
therefore may vary by market/region.
In some instances an advertiser may be
looking at a test campaign to launch a
product and to gauge the consumers
reaction before rolling out nationally.
There may also be trade issues in a certain
region that require extra effort. These
variables will influence the final distribution
and selection of activity in each market.
process
20 % Population
28% Category Sales
15% Brand Sales
CLIENT APPROVALS
If the client does not agree firstly with the target audience recommendation then the rest of the plan is redundant. So it is
generally futile to bombard the client with every element of the plan down to channel selection and flighting etc until each component has client sign off.
The approval process needs to ensure that
the client is satisfied that all the
recommendations consider and address the
expectations of the campaign.
The benefits of obtaining this interim
approval allows each party to consider the
direction that is being taken at a certain point
before progressing with specifics that may
not be appropriate.
process
Client Approval
ü Strategy
ü Implementation Plan
Once the approval has been submitted,
the Trading team (or buying team) is
briefed by the planner. There are multiple
stages to the Trading Process and these
are outlined on the following pages.
The function of the buying role is to
deliver on the strategic recommendations
and optimise as much as possible to
ensure goals are met and money is
invested wisely and efficiently.
1. TRADING BRIEFThe Trading team need to be briefed onthe campaign details. A copy of the mediaplan, signed authorization and a client
purchase order (if applicable), should beprovided to the Trader.Running through the strategy andimplementation recommendations will
help provide an understanding of the purpose and intentions. It is the Trader’s responsibility to ensure the brief and objectives are clear.
2. MARKET ANALYSISUnderstanding the current market
landscape is an essential step to ensure
better forecasting and to assist with
media negotiations. There is a truckload
of market data available across a
multitude of touch points; internal data
management, external systems, media
owner case studies, network formats etc..
Market analysis should be ongoing
throughout the entire Trading process.
process
As with all research, the information is
historical and whilst this is helpful in
identifying trends, it does not guarantee
what may take place in the future.
Therefore the buyer must be very aware
of all the upcoming opportunities that
may influence their decision.
What would you do? Channel A has had
the highest audience in the 7.30 timeslot
for the past 2months, but the program
format is highlighting a special event on
Channel B. Would Channel B be likely to
get higher ratings than Channel A usually
delivers?
This scenario is played out across all
media, so knowing your goals and what
activity is on the other media channels
might impact the campaign performance.
The type of information to be gathered
when preparing to buy media is as
follows:
• performance trends
• program formats.
• program availability lists (to show
which programs are available to
purchase).
• Ratings/Audience information for the
target market group.
• Rate card information.
• special features in print titles and
special events in other media eg survey
promotions.
• Radio events
• List of major events and holiday
periods (this may influence viewing
patterns).
• Details of sports schedules for
television, radio, print and the internet.
process
Channel ‘A’ Channel ‘B’
Sun 7:30pm Two and a half men repeats
Olympics Games open ceremony
3. MEDIA NEGOTIATIONSThe time spent on this step depends on
whether there are existing media contracts
in place for the client you are working on
(i.e. annual TV deal). If there is already a
media deal in place, it is the Trader’s
responsibility to ensure they fully
understand the terms and conditions of
that deal. However the Trader should
always be looking to improve on existing
arrangements and market conditions do
allow for further negotiations.
In the absence of an existing deal, a
negotiation strategy needs to be
established and position needs to be
negotiated. Key considerations include
spend, share, placement, added value
priorities, client expenditure trends and
key objectives, historic and current media
performance.
4. BOOKING MEDIA
There are two ways to buy the media.
i. Briefing the media.
Involves sending a detailed brief to the media, covering off campaign objectives
and constraints. Once a proposal has been received and analysed, the activity is booked, loaded into agency and media bookings systems and then confirmed.
This is not an ideal practice but sometimes necessary due to time constraints, or to
use for certain media under certain conditions.
ii. Preparing a media buy
Involves the MCA evaluating all the information they have available and using
their optimising systems to help create an ideal media buy that meets all expectations. This buy is then sent to the media where they will confirm the bookings and advise if there are any adjustments required or placements not available. There are electronic systems for
sending/receiving bookings, loading and confirming activity.
process
5. FINAL BUY
The client and agency team are informed
of the expectations of the buy along with details of any added value that has been negotiated
-‐ that extra magic.
6. TRACKING AND ADJUSTING
Ongoing monitoring of the media bookings to ensure it remains in line with campaign
objectives. This is a crucial stage of the trading process given how quickly the media market can fluctuate (e.g. the rapid ratings decline experienced by Australia’s Got Talent last year when The Voice
launched in the same timeslot).
This is all vital to ensuring the overall campaign expectations are met and that any necessary adjustments are made as a result of any new information that might influence the results.
7. MATERIAL/CREATIVEREQUIREMENTS
The MCA team needs to liaise with the creative agency to ensure they are
informed of what has been booked. The creative agency can send the right material to the right media and within the required deadlines. p
rocess
POST ANALYSIS The buyer is responsible for ensuring that
throughout the process the budget levels
are not exceeded and that estimated
performance levels are maintained. It
would not be tolerated by a client if the
campaign ended and then the post process
kicked in only to discover that there were
major shortfalls in the campaign and
nothing was done to rectify it.
Underperformance is equally as
unacceptable as overperformance. The
client could have saved significant funds if
the goals were exceeded beyond what was
needed to do the job.
Once all the activity has been booked,
specific steps are taken to track all the
activity to ensure it appeared as requested
and that it has delivered against the
performance expectations.
Monitoring needs to take place as soon as
possible after activity has appeared in
order to rectify any potential issues. A
television campaign for example may not
be delivering the goals expected as a
certain program has rapidly declined in
performance during your campaign period.
The sooner a problem is identified, the
sooner a solution can be found.
Likewise if a commercial didn’t go to air as
booked, then compensation can be
negotiated and a replacement spot can be
scheduled as soon as possible. There can
be many variables that influence the final
results and the buyer needs to be aware of
the changing conditions in order to
improve the situation.
process
